Thanks to Dick Ely for finding this.
This short video shows what happens when an arresting wire breaks as an F/A-18 lands. The cable ends snap back at 100 miles per hour across the deck. You will first see it in real time and then in slow motion. The pilot ejects as his plane drops off the edge of the deck. Some of the crew are fortunate enough to time their jump perfectly and avoid the wire. Others are injured.